Strolling along Princes Street on Hogmanay, it’s hard to believe you’ve not walked through the gates of a festival site.
As stages were positioned across the streets, people walked pint in hand searching for the perfect party spot.
And we've arrived for @edhogmanay! #blogmanay pic.twitter.com/Cs4YWJn3bY
— Love Music;Love Life (@lmlluk) December 31, 2014
Whether that was surrounding one of the giant screens blasting Hot Dub Time Machine tunes, squeezing up the Mound to watch DJ Tom Loud in action or finding a spot by one of the stages to watch the live music.
Opening the Waverley Stage, Young Fathers performed their biggest Edinburgh show to-date drawing an impressive crowd who were eager to celebrate as hands were in the air before the band arrived onstage. As strobe lights beamed across the sky, the 9pm fireworks kicked off party proceedings, the band impressed the crowd with their high energy set from start to finish. Many of those gathered around the stage may have come to catch a glimpse of the band due to the hype that has built around the trio following their Mercury Prize win and it seemed they certainly did not disappoint with a taster of their top tunes.
Looking along Princes Street, the party atmosphere had already stepped up a gear as revellers were now dancing around the large screens for Hot Dub Time Machine‘s musical journey creating what looked like mini pop-up dance floors. It seemed Hot Dub was the perfect choice for the street party soundtrack, as the musical journey from the 1950s allowed the older crowd to shake, twist and belt out those tunes usually reserved for a karaoke session, while the younger crowd unleashed their guilty pleasures and relived 90s hits.
If you managed to find a space at the Mound, this is where the full Hot Dub party was taking place. The crowd may have been packed in, but that didn’t stop revellers enjoying every single minute of the action. Whether it was a sing-along to the Spice Girls, a mosh pit for Rage Against The Machine or a disco classic mimicking John Travolta, there was a groove and dance moves for every era and plenty of sing-along opportunities to get the crowd going.
Down at the Concert in The Gardens, the atmosphere was relaxed and spacious with more room to wander around freely. Making it in time for the arrival of Lily Allen, giant baby bottles hung across the stage and her name was branded across the backdrop as Lily strolled onto stage looking right at home underneath the castle. She performed a mix of hits including ‘Smile’ and ‘LDN’ through to tracks from her latest album ‘Sheezus’ including dedicating ‘As Long As I Got You’ to her husband and children. Her cleverly written witty lyrics, down-to-earth personality and catchy songs had the crowd tapping their feet and dancing to bring in the New Year.
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As the midnight fireworks lit up the sky and Auld Lang Syne played through the city streets, chants of ‘happy New Year’ were compulsory to any stranger you bumped into wherever you went.
Squeezing down to the Waverley Stage to catch Twin Atlantic after the bells, this is where the music festival atmosphere had taken over. From slower tracks including ‘Crash Land’ to ‘Yes, I Was Drunk’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’, fans were on each others shoulders, chants filled the air and singing out loud was compulsory. The boys were on top form with a great mix of songs and continuous crowd engagement while easily managing to create the feeling you were standing in the middle of a festival field, rather than on Waverley Bridge.
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It’s hard to describe Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations in one sentence as there are so many elements that make it a fantastic way to see in the New Year.
It is not very often you can be standing in the middle of what is normally a busy road in the city centre and feel like you’ve been transported to the middle of a music festival.
With top bands, an electric atmosphere and friendly faces all round, it’s hard not to be won over by Edinburgh’s Hogmanay spirit.
If you’re looking for a party on Hogmanay, we don’t know why you’d want to spend New Year’s Eve anywhere else.